Unexpected Savior
by CloveEngland
Summary: Fang and Max hadn't been on good terms for years. Fang claims that Max started it and he didn't WANT to hate her... What happens when he finds out that her boyfriend, Dylan, is abusing her? Should probably be rated K, but I'm paranoid.
1. Blackmail

_**Max's POV**_

"If you break up with me, I'll make sure that your life is even more miserable then than it is now." I was being held by the throat against the back wall of the school. Nobody ever walked back there, so Dylan wouldn't get caught by any teachers. I felt tears beginning to form. "But Dyl-," I was cut off when he punched me in the eye. I couldn't hold them back. The tears started leaking down my cheeks, streaming faster and faster. Dylan let go of my neck and I crumpled to the ground, falling on my knees and watching his back as he walked away, laughing.

Yeah. That's my _wonderful _boyfriend. He actually was wonderful, at first. Then he started using me… and then he blackmailed me, and that's what he continued to do. Believe me it was _great_. (That was sarcasm.)

I started walking home. The sun beat down on me. School was almost out, and I was glad. It was Monday, and this week was the last. Of course, we were still being piled with work. The teachers call it 'end of the year work.' 'End of the year work' is like the work we've had all year, only ten times worse. I saw my house ahead of me and I sped up; my mom, Valencia Martinez, promised she'd make cookies. Me, being Max, would _**KILL **_for cookies.

Just as I was going to turn to walk into my house I heard a scathing voice behind me.

"Where'd the black eye come from?"

That voice was Fang's. How great.

"Let me guess," Fang said, "you tripped and fell and hit your face off the concrete. I wouldn't be surprised, you're such a klutz."

I looked at him, my eyes narrowed, "Leave me alone Fang." He grinned. "No can do. I asked you a question, I expect an answer." I rolled my eyes. "It was nothing, ok?" Fang said, "You're such a wimp, Max. I bet you did trip." I snapped, "I am not a wimp!" Fang sneered, "Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy! Wimpy Max can't tell me what the hell happened!" I muttered almost inaudibly, "Dylan did it." Fang stopped teasing me like he usually did. "What?" He asked. I said, "There, I told you, that's what you asked for. Now leave me alone."

I ran into my house, leaving Fang wondering if he'd heard me right.

_**Fang's POV**_

I stared after Max in disbelief. Had she just said that _Dylan_ did it? _Dylan_, her _boyfriend_, had given her a _**black eye**_? I couldn't believe it. If he was harming her, she wouldn't be with him, right? I wondered for a moment why I was caring. Max and I hadn't been on good terms for years. I didn't WANT to hate her. She had started it, anyways. I shook my head.

I told myself not to think of that right now. Right now, I had to figure out one thing.

_ Was Dylan abusing Max?_


	2. The Fight

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride!**

_**Max's POV**_

I crumpled against the door, crying my eyes out. The bruise under my eye stung awfully and Dylan's threat rang in my head. He didn't love me. I don't think he ever had. He just used me. I was a puppet and he was the puppet master. I hated it. Then, Fang came along and just HAD to act SOMEWHAT concerned for me. What if he had heard me? What if he told other people…? _What if he told Dylan that I told him? _

It was too much. My life as I knew it could become worse… if that was possible. I forced myself not to think of that and was just beginning to stop crying when a voice drifted through the house. "Yes Ma'am, I'd like to speak to Max." What a gentleman that voice sounded like! If only. It was Dylan's. I froze. "Of course Dylan, she's over by the other door, I believe."

I heard footsteps walking towards me. "Come on, I'd like to talk to you outside." I looked up at him. He was glaring at me. Of course, the gentle tone was only an act for my mom. He took my wrist, pulling me up, and we went outside. When we were there, he dragged me behind my garage. Of course, that makes perfect sense. Here nobody would see us, and it was dark. He glared at me. "You told Fang."

I stared at him, surprised. "How'd you know?"

"I was walking here to ask you about going to dinner tonight and I saw."

I was sure that wasn't it. He was probably watching me to make sure I didn't screw up his plan. What a freak.

"He forced me to," I defended myself. "And besides, I said it quickly so he couldn't tell what I was saying."

Dylan took a step towards me, glaring. "What if he DID hear you right? Max! You could've ruined my whole plan! You're such a jerk!" I snarled, "I'M the jerk? You idiot! You beat me up every day!"

Right after I said it I knew I shouldn't have. My hand flew to my mouth and I tried to back away from him, but I only succeeded in running into the wall. He slapped me and I fell to the ground. He started kicking me in the stomach. Each one hurt worse than the last. He was snarling as he kicked me.

"I," _kick, _"am not," _kick, _"a jerk," _kick, _"you are!" Suddenly, the kicking stopped. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, crying and gritting my teeth from the pain. "To me, you're more of a jerk than Max."

Right after he said that, I realized why the kicking had stopped. Fang, _the _Fang, my enemy, had saved me from my boyfriend. I know it sounds weird, but that's what happened. Fang was my neighbor, so it made sense. But I was pretty dang sure he hated my guts. So it made sense, but at the same time it didn't make sense… Make sense?

"Oh, and what are you gonna do about it?" Dylan sneered. I blurrily saw Fang kick Dylan in the chest. Dylan fell over and, gripping his chest, ran off like a coward. I knew he'd come back for both me and Fang, though. Fang knelt down beside me. "Max?" he asked.

It sounded like we were in a tunnel. His voice was bouncing around my head sickeningly. I closed my eyes as darkness engulfed me. I heard a faint "Max!" and then I was out.

_**Fang's POV**_

I was looking at Max's house through my window, wondering why I cared so much, wondering why I was wondering why I cared. Sorry if that was a bit confusing. Part of me knew why I cared, but I refused to accept it. I loved her.

Suddenly I was shaken from my thoughts. I saw Max dragged out of the house by Dylan. I quickly and silently ran out of my house. I stood in the shadows of the garage after seeing that they'd went there. I heard Dylan's voice. "You told Fang." So I had heard Max correct.

"How'd you know?" That was Max.

"I was walking here to ask you to dinner tonight and I saw." What a lie that seemed like. Everyone knew Max and Dylan never went anywhere together! It was like they didn't want to be seen in public with each other. Fang knew Max must realize that that was a lie, but she didn't inquire Dylan any further.

"He forced me to." Max said. "And besides, I said it quickly so he couldn't tell what I was saying."

"What if he DID hear you right? Max! You could've ruined my whole plan! You're such a jerk!" My mouth dropped open when I heard this. He gave her a black eye and he was calling her a jerk? I was about to step out and help when I heard Max snap, "I'M the jerk? You idiot! You beat me up every day!"

'Go Max!' I thought, grinning. Then the grin faltered. She had said that Dylan beat her up every day. How did he not know about it? A nagging voice at the back of his mind sneered, "_You were too busy teasing her to notice." _I shook my head. I didn't know she was getting beat up!

I heard a slapping noise, then Dylan saying words in a choppy sentence and Max whimpering in pain. "I," _whimper, _"am not," _whimper, _"a jerk," _whimper, _"you are!" That was it. I wouldn't let him hurt her anymore. I whipped around the corner. I narrowed my eyes at a surprised Dylan. "To me, you're more of a jerk than Max."

Dylan sneered at me, "Oh, and what are you gonna do about it?" Ok. I really hated this guy. I mean, I REALLY hated him. I kicked him hard in the chest and, with a glow of satisfaction spreading through me, saw him crumple to the ground. Dylan's hand wrapped around his chest and he glared up at me, standing up and running off, like a coward. I swore I'd kill him some other time.

I looked down and noticed that Max's eyes were slightly unfocused. I knelt down beside her, worry spreading through me. "Max?" I asked. There was no response. Her eyes fluttered closed and my worry worsened. "Max!" I said, more intensely. I shook her.

She was unconscious.

**Ok, is it just me, or is this chapter pretty dang long? Please review! I'll update ASAP. Or so I hope. I get writer's block like, every 3 days.**


	3. Tragedy Strikes

_**Max's POV**_

I woke up lying on my bed, a slight ache in my stomach where I'd been kicked repeatedly. I saw Fang sitting beside me. He looked worried. Confusion swept through me, washing out the ache as I wondered why Fang, of all people, would be worried about me. After all, we hadn't been getting along for a long, long time. I remembered it, the day we started hating each other. It had been seven years ago, when we were both ten.

_"Hi, my name's Fang." I looked up from the book I was reading to see a boy smiling down at me. He looked kind of cute, I had to admit. He had long black hair and dark brown eyes. He had tanned skin. He was wearing jeans with holes in the knees and black converse. A black sweatshirt covered whatever shirt he was wearing. _

_ "I'm Max…" I said softly, wondering why anybody- especially somebody as good-looking as him- would talk to me. After all, I was the main target for bullies. Especially for freaking Lissa. Lissa had hated me from the moment she saw me. And there was a rule: If Lissa hates you, everyone else MUST hate you. So everyone hated me. I could tell this guy was new. Maybe he just hadn't caught on yet._

_ Fang poked me and I was shaken out of my thoughts. "So why do you sit back here away from everyone else?" He motioned to the front of the classroom with his hand to where everyone was sitting, surrounding Lissa and her little clique. I muttered, "I'm a loser." Fang grinned. "You don't seem like a loser." I rolled my eyes. "That'll change once you meet Lissa." Fang's brow furrowed. "Meet Lissa? You mean that ugly red-head?" My eyebrows rose. "You think she's ugly?" Fang nodded. "And I think she's a jerk."_

_ I smiled. I was starting to like him. Suddenly Lissa sneered, "That poor boy! I hope he's not getting infected by Max's failure disease." My smile faltered. "Look," I said, "you should probably just go away. I'll only succeed in making your life a living Hell." Fang said, "But-," I interrupted him, "Just go away!" I immediately felt bad. It had come out harsher than I'd wanted it to. He narrowed his eyes. "Fine." He muttered. "It's no wonder you don't have any friends!"_

The memory made my heart ache. After that misunderstanding, we tried to get on good terms a few times. It never worked. It was just… too awkward. So for seven years, we'd hated each other. I was wondering if it was going to change now when Fang put a hand on my shoulder.

"Max," he then said to me, the worry apparent in his voice, "I didn't take you to the hospital because your injuries didn't seem too severe, but if they are, I'll take you right away. How do you feel? Can I get anything for you? Do you think anything's broken?" I held up a hand to get him to stop asking me questions and said, "I don't think I need to go to the hospital. My stomach just aches, but not too badly. No, I don't need anything. And no, I don't think anything's broken."

He sighed, relieved, and said, "I was so worried. I mean, Dylan's a coward and all, but he is strong. And then when I said your name and you didn't respond I was so afraid that you might have…" his voice trailed away. I knew what he was going to say. I smiled and said, "But I'm ok now, aren't I? You don't have to worry anymore." He smiled and nodded.

We were silent, gazing into each other's eyes. '_Wow,' _I thought, _'He has really handsome eyes…' _Then, only half-consciously, we both leaned forward and filled the gap in between us. I felt his lips meet mine, worm and soft, and we kissed.

I pulled away when I realized I needed air and smiled. "So, I guess we don't hate each other anymore…?" I said. He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we don't." Then we both broke into laughter. When we had finally finished laughing, I leaned against his chest and felt his arms wrap around me. It was strange, how quickly we'd just… made up. But given the circumstances, I didn't really care that it happened that fast. It sort of made sense in my mind.

Suddenly I tensed. Fang must have noticed, because I felt his arms tighten their grip on me. "What about Dylan? H-he'll… he'll kill me…" my voice was soft and high-pitched, and I felt fear shoot through me, causing me to shiver. Fang planted a kiss on my head and said, "I won't let him. If he tries to kill you again, he'll be the only one who ends up dead." I relaxed a little and closed my eyes. We only had two days of school left, two more days for Dylan to torment me without permission- as in, without having to be let into my house.

I closed my eyes, snuggling against Fang and smiled, falling asleep in his arms.

**LINE, LINE, LINEEEE, LINE, LINE, LINE, LINE, LINE, LINE, LINE!**

When I woke up I found that Fang had left. I looked at the clock. 1:00 AM. My eyes grew wide. I hadn't done my homework yet! I rushed to get my homework and I sat at my desk, doing each page as quickly and accurately as I could. When I finished it was 5:00. That was just great. I had only two more hours to sleep. Sighing, I curled up and fell asleep.

I woke up yet again to the sound of my alarm clock blaring in my ear. I pressed a button on it to get it to shut up and dragged myself out of bed. I shuffled around tiredly, getting ready for the day. I walked down the stairs. Mom wasn't up yet. '_That's weird. Usually she's up way before me.' _I was getting breakfast when I heard a knock on the door.

I walked to the door and opened it and saw a very tired-looking Mrs. Ride, Fang's mom as well as my neighbor. She looked at me sympathetically and said, "Max, dear, you're not going to school today or tomorrow." I felt confusion sweep over me. "Why?" I asked. Mrs. Ride blinked. "You mean nobody's told me? Oh, Maximum… last night, your mother was driving home from the store… she got in a car accident. She's dead."

I stared at her blankly. My hands had gone numb. My brain felt like mush. I couldn't think. I wasn't even aware that tears were falling down my cheeks. She murmured, "Come on, you can stay at our house until we figure out where you're going to go for sure." I nodded, still feeling wordless, and followed her over to her house. We sat down at the kitchen table and she told me that if I needed anything I could just call her, and she gave me her number. All I did was nod. She then went to work, and I was left alone.


End file.
